Sam Duncan Farmlab
Sam in South Sudan 2021
In late December 2012, Sam Duncan was on the other side of the world. Starting his career in the Air Force as a Logistics Officer, he was deployed to South Sudan where he was a part of a contingent set up to support the United Nations Mission. At the time, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9th July 2011 as part of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war.
While Sam supported the ongoing peace process and worked closely with locals, he remembers it as a challenging time for the newest country in the world.
“During the wet season, South Sudan tended to flood. A lack of sewerage facilities and infrastructure made things worse, as it was a breeding ground for disease,” Sam recounts.
Sam’s neighbours lived in a clay hut and suffered major flooding in their home, which is a reality for a large population of people annually. It is only going to get worse as climate change progresses.
“They don’t have the infrastructure to cope and it’s going to be a humanitarian disaster moving forward, and we have a responsibility to mitigate as much of that as we can. We have the education, the finances, the technology and resources.”
Fast forward to today, and Sam is now the Founder and CEO of FarmLab, enabling Australian farmers to be more sustainable in their farming practices, and to help Australia play it’s part in mitigating climate change. Doing so will also alleviate the effects of climate change in developing countries.
“Eventually, we hope our technology could be used in countries such as South Sudan to support agricultural development and economic growth by optimising land use and reducing the loss of forest and soil carbon.”
Soil mapping, created by the FarmLab platform
FarmLab provides software that tracks and maps soil, where the results can be used to increase the value of a farm.
“A lot of growers and agronomists were testing the soil in one season, would look at the results and not take action and ignore the recommendations,” says Sam.
“Collating the results over time, farmers and agronomists can get a greater understanding of the changes in their soil. The fertility of soil directly correlates to the potential crop yield, and therefore the value of the land. We want to help simplify and create clarity around how soil is managed and used.”
“Essentially, it will be like having a digital account for soil,” says Sam.
Sam and his team applied for SproutX’s 2020 program because, just as it takes a village to raise a child, support for a startup is needed from a number of areas.
“Just like a seed needs healthy soil and sun to grow, there are many elements that it takes to build a successful business,” Sam explains.
Having previously had experience working with an accelerator program, Sam wanted mentorship but needed support in the food and agtech industry.
“My mindset was to share and collaborate as much as possible. Nobody has this incredible idea that takes off on its own. It takes a lot of creative minds and support to make something big grow properly.”
The FarmLab Team (L to R: Sam Williamson, Sam Duncan, Shahriar Jamshidi and Florian Ruhnke)
Sam believes SproutX has played a key role in his journey.
“It is everything I could have hoped for. Connections in the agriculture industry, mentoring and help with a focus on linking the tech to the market-need, which is fundamental to a startup.”
However, Sam is taking nothing for granted.
“Being in a startup, any day could be the last. In order to be profitable, we need more users on board so we can start working closely with them.”
FarmLab is balancing R&D and commercialisation, currently working with the University of Sydney as part of the Soil Tech Project to develop world class soil research into digital tools for farmers and agronomists. However, as a commercial entity, they have to balance the extension of these tools and the research with market needs. This is not easy, as the research world and commercial world are not always aligned.
“I feel as if we have met our goal in terms of education,” admits Sam. “We work really hard to educate agronomists and farmers about soil and the benefits of managing soil really well. Although sometimes, it feels like we’re speaking another language with the farmers.”
The current lack of digitisation within the agriculture industry makes communication and education around technology with farmers very important. This is important not just for FarmLab, but across Australian Agtech more broadly.
As a result, they have taken huge steps towards creating a product that is simple to use and highly automated, so those using the software don't need advanced technological qualifications in order to manage their soil quality.
“We want every farmer to have a decent soil map that they can use, and for the characteristics of that soil to be digital to make it easy to act on the data.”
